


The Way (that Our Sharp Teeth Bite)

by ThistleBush (RedPineTree)



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Aftermath of Torture, BAMF Bucky Barnes, BAMF Clint Barton, BAMF Loki, Bruce Banner Feels, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton Feels, Clint Needs a Hug, Clint's trying not to be a dick, Evil!Natasha, Gen, Good Loki, How Do I Tag, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Don't Even Know, I'm Going to Hell, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Just an excuse for me to write angst, Kinda, Loki Angst, Loki Does What He Wants, M/M, Medival AU, Natasha is a dick, Natasha is evil, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Rape/Non-con, Poor Loki, Protective Clint Barton, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Thor, Slavery AU, Slaves are illegal tho, Sorry Not Sorry, Steve Rogers Feels, Stockholm Syndrome, Thaddeus Ross is a dick, The Author Regrets Everything, Thor Is Not Stupid, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Whipping, Why Did I Write This?, werewolf bruce banner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 06:31:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11663538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedPineTree/pseuds/ThistleBush
Summary: Steve Rogers, Thor Odinson, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanoff-- all part of King Fury's elite squad: The Avengers.However, one of the Avengers is not who they truly seem.And what happens with the three "weapons" they found in a shipment raid?ORThree slaves. Two secrets. One nefarious plot to overthrow King Fury.(Story is hopefully better than summary. Title from "Jimmy, He Whispers" by Manchester Orchestra.)





	1. The Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Well, if you made it this far, welcome to The Way (that Our Sharp Teeth Bite)
> 
> Trigger warnings/content warnings will be held in this nice little beginning notes square, so be sure to read before starting a chapter. Keep yourself safe, mi amigos. 
> 
> TW: None

“Hawkeye! Assemble the group! We’re going raiding. Hill told us that there'll be an import coming in near the port. We will gather and cut the ship off at dock. Stark said that he believed the cargo was supposed to be of value. Weapons or something of the sort.” Steve Rogers, the captain of King Fury’s troops commanded, looking over the hills and out towards the dock, spyglass in hand. Steve was a tall, muscular, handsome man with blond, windswept hair and eyes bluer than the sky. His symbol was a shield, and he was almost always draped in the colors of the Kingdom of Shield: red, white, and blue. Although Steve was the captain, he was often stepped on by Widow and Iron, but he never seemed to mind that much.

“Got it, Captain.” Clint Barton, Hawkeye, said in response, immediately turning back towards camp. Clint was of average height, and what he lacked in “rugged good looks” he made up in amazing eyesight. It was rumoured that he could hit a target from all the way on the other side of the kingdom, and that his eyesight was a gift from the gods themselves. He never, ever, missed a single target. 

“Widow, Iron, Thor! Cap says we’re going raiding.” Clint barked at the three, but gulped lightly when Widow, Natasha Romanoff, glared at him. 

“Quiet, Clint. We were already on our way. Thor’s already loud enough to scare all game in the area, so unless you plan on starving tonight, one loud person is enough.” She stated icily, green eyes cold. Natasha was a short, very pretty assassin. Her hair was a fiery red, and her eyes were green as emeralds. Many men had tried to claim her hand in marriage, but all had failed, most ending up laying hurt in a ditch or worse, hence the name “Black Widow.” 

“My dearest apologies, Lady Natasha. I shall try harder next time.” Thor virtually yelled, but it was a bit quieter than his normal volume anyway. Thor was a prince from another kingdom called Asgard. He had come to Shield in an attempt to find his missing brother, Loki, but had ended up joining Steve’s small troop. Thor was virtually a giant, standing even taller than Steve, and twice as muscular. He was best known for his long blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and of course, battle hammer. 

Iron rolled his eyes. “Still too loud, Thunderer.” He sighed. Iron, short for Iron Knight, was named Tony Stark. He was a rich, genius inventor, bored with life and seeking adventure. After an unfortunate incident, he made a suit of armor in brightly colored red and gold. He was incredibly good with a sword, and even better on horseback. Tony was a bit on the short side, however his (sometimes) charming personality and good looks made up for that. His facial hair, although a bit odd, was always meticulously groomed. His dark brown hair was slicked back in a way that the ladies always loved, and his brown eyes sparkled with intelligence and mischief.

Together, the five of them made up a group of King Fury’s most elite warriors: The Avengers. 

And warriors they were indeed. They made quick work of Ross’ men at the dock, eyes on the prize as they stepped over bodies and got onto the boat. With a single look at Thor’s hammer, the captain of the boat was pointing them towards the bottom of the boat, eyes wide with fear.

“Wait for my call, team. We don’t know if this could be an ambush.” Steve ordered, eyeing the door that would lead them into the hold. Without waiting for any sort of protest, he held his shield in front of him, tense, and kicked the door open.


	2. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reveal of the cargo room, and the Avengers meet two willing new members. The third member isn't willing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: None, I believe.

There was a silence, then Steve gasped, “Jesus, forgive us.” That immediately had the others kicking into action, all storming in after Steve, weapons drawn. All but Natasha stumbled to a surprised halt as they too saw the supposed “weapons” that were in the cargo.

Three men, tightly chained to the floor of the ship. One of the men had long dark brown hair, blue eyes dull but hard and defiant as he stared at the intruders. Where his left arm should have been, there was a silver, metal arm. He glared the five of them down, unashamed, even as he was huddled as close as he could get with the other two.

The second man had long, slightly wavy black hair. His skin was so pale that it seemed he hadn’t seen sunlight for a long time, He glanced up at the three for a moment, pale green eyes darting up for a moment before quickly landing back on the ground, but he looked back up again, eyes landing on Thor, and mouth forming a small, surprised ‘o.’

The third man had the most chains, a heavy collar even fastened around his neck. He had unruly dark brown hair, and did not even make an attempt to look at the Avengers. He was curled tightly, hunched small as possible, trembling slightly, although from the weight on the chains or from something else, it was impossible to tell.

Thor was the first one to break the silence. “Loki!” He cried, dropping his hammer with a loud thud, and rushing towards the man with black hair. “What have they done to you, brother?” He sobbed, weeping openly, and Loki looked shocked.

“T-Thor?” Loki stuttered, looking at Thor uncertainly. “Is...is it really you?” He asked, voice quiet.

Steve was next, something sparking in his memory. “Bucky!” He exclaimed, making fast pace towards the man with the metal arm.

“Who the hell’re you? My name is James, not Bucky.” The first man, James spat, no hint of recognition even showing in his eyes. He glared at Steve warily, and Steve stopped short.

“Buck...you don’t remember me?” Steve asked, sounding heartbroken. Clint and Tony exchanged bewildered looks, and Natasha took control of the situation.

“Thor, Cap, step away. We don’t know if they’re hostile or not. We’ll take them to King Fury. He’ll know what to do in this situation.” Natasha said, and while Steve reluctantly retreated, Thor would not let go.

“Steve, take James and Loki. The rest of you leave. I’ll...attend to this.” She said, not looking at the group as she walked forward.

Thor grabbed his hammer, breaking the chains with a mighty swing and a roar of anger like they had offended him personally. The collar around the curly-haired man’s neck held fast, however, which just made Thor more furious, frustration lighting his gaze as he looked back to Natasha.

“Lady Natasha, I have just found my brother after all these years, and you expect me to abandon him?” Thor replied angrily, and then the third man spoke.

“We are weapons. We don't need company.” He mumbled, voice quiet and raspy from disuse.

“Shut up.” James hissed, glare now directed on the curly-haired man. “We’re being given a chance for freedom, but you can never shut up about…” He trailed off as he saw the group staring at him, Tony and Thor with curiosity, Clint and Steve warily, and Natasha something darker.

“Go.” Natasha said plainly, and as they vacated the room, she closed the door behind him.

“He’s screwed.” Tony muttered, watching the door close and waiting for the screams to start up. None did, so he let out a small snort of relief.

“What’s his deal anyway?” Clint asked, not expecting anyone to respond.

“H-he’s been with M-M-master the longest. M-master t-took the time to b-b-break h-him thoroughly.” Loki stammered, ducking his head, tense. He looked as if he expected to be struck any moment.

“Who?” Thor practically screamed, and Loki winced, clamming up.

“Ross.” James growled. “We’re...his slaves.” James spat the word slaves, not even looking like he believed it himself. “Curly-hair was there first, and then Loki. I only joined a few months ago. Ross has had some trouble getting me under control.” The blue-eyed man sounded proud as he spoke, but his eyes drifted to his arm for a moment.

“Curly-hair? What's his real name?” Steve spoke for the first time since they had been kicked out by Natasha.

“No one knows. Ross called him ‘Monster.’” James said with a quiet scoff.

At that point, Natasha walked out, “Monster” in tow. He made eye contact with none, head low. The large iron collar was still around his neck, a short chain leading from it like a leash, meaning Natasha hadn't been able to get it off.

“You three; you're coming with us. Fury will decide what to do with you. Cap, Iron, take up the rear.” Natasha briskly said, taking the lead. Clint immediately began walking side-by-side with her, and the two began talking in low, whispered voices.

Thor picked up Loki, despite the smaller man’s protest and carried him after, face dark.

James walked proudly, head up. He didn't look back once, and he certainly didn't show any signs of submission of any kind.

“Monster” didn't move at all, eyes darting back to the door. “...Master will be mad.” He said quietly, but still loud enough for the group and Natasha jerked to a stop.

“What did I just say? Your master sold you to us now. We dictate your fate. Now move before we make you.” She snapped, and Steve and Tony shared a look. Whatever was about to happen would not be good.

“You think I’m stupid or something? I know you're kidnapping us. Master would have never sold any of us.” “Monster” argued back, still standing stock-still.

Natasha looked back, eyes full of frustration.“He's stalling. Ross’ reinforcements are on the way. We don't have time for this.”

“Fuck.” Tony cursed, and grabbed “Monster” by the leash, tugging forwards harshly. The man let out a choked noise, stumbling forwards and both James and Loki winced at that.

“Well, what else was I to do? It worked, didn't it?” Tony asked noting Steve’s disapproving look.

“M-my leash is only for Master to touch.” The man protested, looking appalled and fearful. His eyes kept darting from Loki, then to James, and then to the ground as if they couldn't believe they were just letting this happen.

“We're your new masters now, so that works.” Tony replied easily, ignoring the churning in his stomach. He quickened his pace do that they were basically right on Steve’s heels, “Monster” making choking noises every time he was sharply pulled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's play a drinking game! Every time I wrote: said, quietly, or glared, take a shot. Or something.
> 
> Joking, joking. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and please leave a comment. I live for comments because I have no life. 
> 
> -Red
> 
> PS: Raven, if you're reading this: You were right. I am a sick fuck.


	3. The Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monster asks for forgiveness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Implied rape
> 
> The sheer amount I hate myself right now. I know I'll end up orphaning this work someday.

* * *

Eventually, the choking went to short whimpers, and from that, silence.

As the Avengers settled down to rest, making a camp site, “Monster” had reverted to a quiet, more complacent man. Right before a dinner of roasted rabbits, “Monster” had gotten onto his knees, head bowed low.

“Masters, I apologize for being stubborn earlier. Please punish me for my disobedience as you see fit.” He said, sounding completely miserable.

“...Okay, huddle.” Steve ordered, and they all immediately made a small closed group.

“First things first, what's up with the whole Bucky thing?” Tony asked, and Steve gave him a half glare, half disappointed look.

“That's your first question, Stark?” Clint questioned, sounding incredulous. “Shouldn't it be, isn't slavery illegal?”

“Well, yeah, that too. But that's just another reason we can arrest Ross. Now tell.”

Steve let out a long sigh. “We were friends when I was a scrawny, sick child. After I grew up, we joined King Fury’s troops. Bucky went missing after a mission gone wrong.” He explained in a short, snappy voice.

“Oh. Okay, onto the next problem. Curly-hair dude. He’ll probably make a run for it unless we do something.” Tony began, and Clint interrupted,

“I’d like to see Ross just to smash him in the face.”

“Aye! No one dare takes a prince of Asgard!” Thor exclaimed, and Steve sighed deeply.

“Here's what we’re going to do.” Natasha said, quickly intervening before Thor could start a rant.

“So far, James and Loki have shown no sign of resistance at all. I would like to assume that we won't have any problems with them. First things, we need to figure out about Monster. What Ross did to him, why he considers himself a weapon, and if he really is a weapon what to do with him.”

Tony opened his mouth to say something, but Natasha continued, cutting him off, “As you can see, Monster is only used to abuse and violence, only listening when we were angered at him and yanked him around. We have to continue this behavior until we get back to the castle. Then, we can figure out how to solve his issues and Thor can take Loki back to Asgard. James...we’ll see where that goes. Any questions?”

“I don't approve of us hurting him.” Steve said, looking uneasy, and Thor nodded in agreement. Tony looked like he wanted to agree, but kept his mouth shut for once.

“You don't have to hurt him. I got it under control.” Clint replied, grey eyes steely, and turned back to where “Monster” was still kneeling. He strode over and grabbed “Monster” by the hair.

“What is your name?” Clint asked, and Monster flinched a bit.

“Monster, sir.” He mumbled, and Clint frowned.

“Your real name, dumbass.” Clint spat, tightening his grip.

“Bruce, sir.” Monster, Bruce, squeaked, trying his hardest not to pull away and accidentally tear out his own hair on the process.

“Kiss my boots, Bruce, and beg for forgiveness.” Clint said, voice icy, well aware of everyone’s eyes, including James’ and Loki’s. He could feel Steve’s eyes burning into the back of his neck, and could feel the “disappointed mother look” from all the way across the camp.

Bruce immediately crawled forward, lips brushing Clint’s boots. “Please M-master, I apologize f-for any way I have disrespected you o-or the other Masters. I should have listened instead of struggling to the point of you y-yanking my l-leash. P-please allow m-me to make it up to you, Master. Ross always said I was a g-good f-fuck.” Bruce stammered, and as his voice hitched on the word, leash, Clint realized that he was crying.

Clint’s head spun as he heard the last words, and he felt mildly sick to his stomach, although his nausea never made it to his face. He maintained the same cold façade, glaring down at Bruce. He purposely stepped on Bruce’s leash, shortening the length and making the man’s face slam into the ground. He placed his boot on Bruce’s head for a moment, pushing his face further into the dirt.

“You are forgiven. You do not have to make it up to me this time, but if you ever do it again…” Clint let himself trail off as if considering his words. “We’ll see. Now I want you to stay in this position until I say so and think of what you've done. No dinner for you.”

Bruce’s voice was muffled as he spoke, “But sir-”

Clint pressed down harder, and Bruce let out a quiet cough as he inhaled dirt. “Did you not hear me?”

“Yes sir. Thank you, Master.” Bruce mumbled, and Clint released his head.

“Good.” With that, he stalked back over to where the group was still assembled in a loose huddle.

“Wow, Barton, kinky.” Stark immediately said, and Clint glared at him.

“He offered to have sex with me. Said that Ross always called him a good fuck.” Clint spat, and Steve paled.

“Do you think…?” He asked quietly, eyes darting over to James, who was watching the roasting rabbits intently, looking over from Clint to Bruce occasionally, and looking a bit sicker each time he did. Thor made the same connection and he growled as he looked at his brother. Loki was sitting next to Bruce, talking to him in a quiet whisper. Bruce hadn't moved, just like Clint instructed him, but his shoulders shook slightly as Loki talked to him.

“Well, it did the trick. He’ll stay there until we tell him to move.” Natasha said, voice lacking any emotion.

“...I'm going to set up our tents.” Tony said, and dashed over to his horses, U, Dummy, and Butterfingers, taking bags off the saddle to began the tents.

“I'll finish those rabbits. Er...Thor, want to come?” Steve asked, and Clint pushed back a pang of hurt. Usually he was Steve’s cooking partner, but it was obvious that the Captain didn't want anything to do with him now.

“It doesn't matter, Clint. Our loyalty is to Fury, not Steve.” Natasha reminded him, walking away to go sharpen her knives.


	4. The Journey (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James runs away, some of Bruce's backstory is revealed, and Tony Stark has a heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of rape, vomit.

The sleeping arrangements had been a bit uncomfortable, but everyone had managed in the end. Loki slept with Thor, Natasha with Clint and Bruce, and Steve with Tony and James.

Tony woke up at the sound of heavy footfalls in the middle of the night, and immediately peeked out of his tent.

“Woah, hey, shh..” James was talking to Dummy. The grey stallion snorted quietly, making a whinnying sound. “Shh..” James repeated, grabbing one of Tony’s saddles and putting it onto the horse. He clambered on, and as Tony stumbled to his feet with a shout of, “Hey!”, James took off on Dummy into the woods.

Tony mounted U, taking off after the brown-haired man, shouting blasphemies at him, but U was an older horse, not as spy or swift as Dummy, and soon they had completely lost the horse and his rider.

The two of them ambled home as the sun rose, Tony feeling a pang of loss in his heart as he thought of the dappled grey stallion he had just lost. Not to mention, the supplies.

“Tony! We wondered where you had been.” Steve greeted as he entered the makeshift camp.

“James stole Dummy. They’re gone. We are now also low on coins and the very few spices we had are stolen.” Tony said dully, dismounting his black stallion and taking the saddle off. The horse wandered around as he continued. “You may want to check around and see if any of your personal belongings have gone missing.”

“Oh, Tony, I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m sure we’ll find them.” Steve looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept all night.

“Aye, Friend Stark. It is a shame to hear your steed has been taken.” Thor looked even more tired than Steve.

“Why are you so tired?” Tony asked, looking between the two, mild suspicion in his eyes. Steve was in his tent, and although it was known that Tony was the heaviest sleeper on the earth, Steve was not.

“Bu- James. He kept waking up after nightmares. I barely caught a wink of sleep last night. James said he had to go to the bathroom, I just let him go. I ended up falling asleep right after he went. Then when I woke up, both of you were gone.” Steve looked extremely apologetic as he looked spoke.

“Why didn’t you wake me up? I would have taken him.” Tony asked, and Steve replied, “I know you had a rough time yesterday with Clint and Monster…”

Tony scowled deeply, glaring at Steve. “Shut up.” He growled, but didn’t deny it. “So, Thor, why are you tired?” 

“Loki kept having nightmares as well. He only went to sleep after I promised him multiple times that Friend Barton wouldn’t...force himself upon him, and after that, I could not sleep so well myself.” Thor admitted, but as he recalled the memory his eyes burned with anger. “I cannot wait to destroy Ross. I will crush every one of his soldiers and leave his body so disfigured that even his mother will not know that it is him.” The large blond man growled deeply, and Tony found himself slowly edging away.

“Okay...you do that, Big Guy. Also, not it for telling Natasha that James is gone.”

“It’s fine Stark; I’ll do it.” Steve said, ever the self-sacrificing soldier.

“Do what?”

Tony, Steve, and Thor all jumped at the sound of Natasha’s smooth voice, and Tony will deny yelping to the day he dies.

“Man with a heart problem!” Tony breathed out, clutching at his chest. Natasha raised an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t have to be sneaking up on you if you weren’t keeping secrets.” She said, and Tony snorted. “Like you don’t keep secrets, Widow.”

“Not secrets that have to do with our mission.” Natasha countered, and Steve let out a quiet sigh, stepping forwards.

“James is gone.” He said, and Natasha’s face went from mildly annoyed to downright murderous.

“Gone? Gone where?” She hissed, and Steve looked like he regretted volunteering.

“He left. Stole Tony’s horse and took off in the middle of the night.”

Natasha cursed, glaring at Tony like it was his fault. “He was the only reliable source of information that we could somewhat believe about Ross’ plans! Monster doesn’t trust us, and I doubt Loki would talk about his time with Ross unless we forced it out of him.”

“You shall not touch my br-” 

“I will touch your brother if he can help end our fight with R-”

“Maybe we all need to just calm down a litt-”

“Is no one going to talk about how my horse is go-”

“EVERYONE SHUT UP!” Clint yelled, walking out of the tent, his face angry. “Natasha, we will not touch Loki. We don’t need a war with Asgard along with Ross. We’ll have to find another way for information on Ross. Also, Tony, no one gives a crap about your horse. Finally, his name isn’t Monster. It’s Bruce. Now, if we’re done bickering, we should get an early start so we can attempt to get somewhat near the river at noon and go fishing. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry.”

There was a stunned silence.

“What are we going to do with Bruce, then? Loki will follow, but will Bruce?” Steve asked.

“Just leash Bruce to one of the horses. Then he’ll have to follow.” Natasha said, and Tony frowned. “Why don’t we just let him ride?”

“What, so he can jump off and run away whenever we take any rests?” Natasha snapped back, and Steve got between the two before they could start fighting.

“We’ll do things Natasha’s way this time, Stark. We can’t trust Bruce.” He said firmly, and that meant that was that.

* * *

 

Tony’s stomach rumbled as he walked along in silence other than the breathing of the horses and the quiet clank of Bruce’s chain. They had been walking for at least the past hour and Tony was bored out of his mind.

“Hey, Bruce?” Tony asked the man at the back of the group, halting momentarily so that they were walking together.

“Yes, Master?”  
  
“First of all, it’s Tony, not Master. Secondly, how did you get into Ross’ possession?”

Bruce stopped walking, but as he realized his leash was being pulled taunt, he sped up. “It’s a long story, Tony.” Tony sighed as he realized he was saying _Tony_ like it was the word “Master.” He told himself to work on that later with Bruce.

“Well, I have plenty of time.” Tony said, and Bruce looked as if he’d rather die in a hole than tell the story, but he started anyway.

“I killed my mother. Then my father sold me.” Bruce muttered shortly, and Tony frowned. “I thought you said it was a long story.”

“After I was born, my father thought he had been cursed by a witch. He realized my mother had given birth to a monster because of the curse. He told her to leave me, but she wouldn’t. When I was 12, my mother tried to run away with me. My father...he beat her so badly that she died. Then I realized that if I had never been born, my mother would still be alive. I really was a monster. And then father sold me. I was 14 when it first happened...my eyes…they change sometimes.” Bruce looked up at Tony for the first time, and Tony held back a gasp. One of Bruce’s eyes was green, like the color of leaves in the summertime. The other was a dark brown, like mud, if mud could even be a color that pretty.

“Then Ross realized I was a freak. The full moon rolled around. I went crazy. I woke up and I was locked in one of Ross’ rooms, chains weighing me down. My clothes were in tatters and everything hurt. Ross came in.” Bruce paused at this, eyes cloudy as if he was remembering that night exactly.  

“He said, “Goddamn werewolf,” and stabbed me in the heart with a knife. I still don’t know what was worse: the fact I didn’t die, or  the fact that after I didn’t die, he raped me. He insisted that he had to keep me under control. It was a regular schedule of beatings and rape and cruel words with an irregular schedule of food until I finally just submitted. It was the best decision of my life. Rules became easier to follow, food given out more often. Full moons were still dreaded; he raped me after every single one. A small price to pay.” Bruce shrugged, looking back at the ground.

“And then Loki came.” He growled, then blinked and jerked as he realized Tony was still listening. “Sorry Tony, I apologize for getting carried away.” Tony didn’t reply, stumbling over to a a bush and dumping his practically empty stomach into it.

Steve turned at the sound of retching and saw Tony throwing up into a bush. “Tony!” He exclaimed, stopping U and Butterfingers. “Let’s take a break, team.” He called over his shoulder, walking over to the dark-haired inventor.

“You okay?” Steve asked, patting Tony on the back as the other coughed and retched again.

“F-fine. Just peachy.” Tony growled, pushing away from the captain. “It’s just- Bruce.”

Steve looked at the curly-haired man who had some mixed expression of guilt and wariness as he stared at the ground.

“What did he do?” Clint asked, catching the end of Tony’s sentence. “Don’t tell me he gave you berries and you actually ate them.”

“What? No! I’m not stupid!” Tony snapped, and Natasha decided to butt in as well.

“That could be debated, Stark.” At Tony’s glare, the redhead continued, “I know you have a soft spot for him, but we need to punish him when he does something wrong. Especially if it involves hurting our teammates.”

“He didn’t hurt me! I just felt sick.” Tony lied lamely. He would never tell the others why, honestly. He had a reputation to uphold.

“Did he threaten you in any way?” Natasha’s voice sounded unnaturally soft and threatening, but before Tony could answer, Thor clomped over, Loki in tow.

“My brother has told me that Bruce is prone to violent tendencies. Did he perhaps hit you in your stomach?” Thor asked, and Tony shook his head furiously.

“Sheesh, I didn’t know you guys cared about me so much. Nothing happened, okay? Now give me some space.” Tony said, and he saw Natasha and Clint share their patent “We Need To Dig Deeper” look.

“Stark…”

“Fuck off! I’m fine! Let’s just go to this goddamn river and eat some goddamn fish.”

“Okay, but you’re not walking with Bruce anymore.” Steve said, and Tony gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Whatever.”

* * *

 

“What did you do to him?” Clint demanded, taking Tony’s spot in the rear. He caught a glimpse  of brown as Bruce’s eyes darted upward momentarily, looking at him, and then back to the ground. 

“Nothing, Master.” Bruce replied easily. Clint raised a hand, and Bruce dropped his head lower, shoulders coming up. “Please don’t slap me, sir. I’m telling the truth.”

“Fine. What did you tell him, then?” Clint asked, eyes narrowing as Bruce hesitated. 

“He wanted to know how I got into Ross’ possession.” 

Clint frowned. Did that sound like a Tony-esque question? Maybe. Definitely. “And what did you tell him?”    
  
“The truth, sir. That my father sold me to Ross.” There had to be more to that. Tony wasn’t the type of man to throw up at just anything. What was Bruce hiding? 

“The river! Ha, Clint, I’m going to catch more fish than you for once.” Tony bragged from the front, turning to face the two of them from where he was sitting on U. 

“Go forth, mighty steed!” Tony yelled, and U took off with a loud neigh towards the river.

“Hey! Stark, slow down!” Steve called after him, chuckling. “Alright, let’s speed up a little. Don’t want Tony to end up drowning in the river or something.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was basically a filler chapter. You're welcome. 
> 
> (Also, don't worry. Bucky will come back eventually.)


	5. The Journey (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce unfortunately gets into trouble again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't have time to get this chapter beta read :(
> 
> TW: Flogging/whipping. Mentions of past torture and rape.

Tony watched Bruce out of the corner of his eye as the man staggered over to the river, getting on all fours to take a drink, looking a bit like a dog. Or maybe a wolf, if he wasn’t lying. Tony would need absolute proof before ever believing that werewolves were real. Sorcerers, okay. Demons, maybe. Werewolves...not so much. Bruce drank like a man who had never seen water, which made Tony wonder when the last time he had seen water was. Food? Fresh air? 

Bruce made eye contact with Tony and he suddenly looked panicked as he stopped drinking water, slinking over to Tony like a dog that knew he was in trouble. He knelt at Tony’s feet, head bowed.

“Master, I apologize for not asking for permission to drink. Please punish me as you see fit.” Tony frowned deeply, and Bruce seemed to backtrack his words. “I-I mean, Tony.” He seemed to be struggling to keep it together. 

“Bruce, when was the last time you drank before now?” Tony asked, and Bruce’s brows furrowed as he thought. A few seconds passed and Tony sighed at the lack of answer. 

“I’m sorry for not answering, sir. I could not recall.” Bruce tensed, expecting to be hit. When no blow came, he spared a look up, wondering what he was supposed to do. Ross would have hit him by now, but maybe Tony wanted him to beg for it. 

“Please hit me, sir. I deserve it for disrespecting you.” Bruce mumbled, sparing another glance up. Tony did not look happy. 

“Get up.” Bruce scrambled to his feet, flinching as Tony grabbed his shoulder. “Go find Steve-- he’s the one with the short blond hair. I can’t deal with you right now.” He grunted, shoving Bruce towards where Steve was watching Clint and Tony fishing, while sketching in his journal. 

Bruce slowly walked over, obvious hesitance in every step.

“Master, Tony sent me to you.” He said, kneeling. “I believe I may have offended him, so he has sent me to you for punishment, sir.” Or maybe Tony had done it because Steve was bigger and stronger and could punish him better.

“What? Why..?” Steve looked over at Tony who paid no attention to him, still fishing.

“I drank water without permission and accidentally called him Master instead of Tony.” Bruce explained quietly. 

“Um…” Steve slapped, basically patted, Bruce on the face lightly. “Don't do it again?” 

Bruce cocked his head slightly, head still down. That had hurt a lot less than he thought it was going to. It hadn't even hurt at all, actually. He had been expecting a real beating. “Thank you for being merciful, Master.” 

“It's, umm, Steve. My name’s Steve.” Steve said awkwardly, face beginning to flush as he stared down at Bruce.

“Thank you for being merciful, Steve.” Bruce repeated, and knelt there waiting for further instruction.

“Yeah...no problem. Er...go sit by Loki and Thor. Please.” Steve watched Bruce get up and walk away before walking over to Tony.

“What was that for, Stark?” He muttered, blush just beginning to leave his face as he sat down next to the genius.

“I didn't know what to do! If we told him he was allowed to drink water without asking, he'd probably flip.” Tony said, clutching his pole so tightly that his knuckles went white.

“How do we fix him? Can we fix him?” Steve asked, staring at his reflection in the water. It was weird how he felt ashamed to hit a slave, but had no problem knocking people out with his shield.

“I-” Tony stopped mid-sentence as he heard Thor shouting. He turned to see Bruce and Loki fighting at the fire, Thor attempting to grab Bruce’s chain.

“Fuck.” Tony cursed, and he and Steve simultaneously got up, running towards the commotion. Clint was on his way over as well, holding four fish in one hand, (reminding Tony that he had caught no fish) and his pole in the other.

By the time they reached there, Thor was holding Bruce back, surprisingly struggling with the chain. Bruce was yanking at his chain and snarling, both eyes now green and full of hatred as he glared at Loki, who looked oddly smug.

“What happened?” Steve asked, eyes wide as he saw Bruce’s eyes. He could have sworn they were brown when he last saw. 

“This beast attacked Loki!” Thor grunted, putting emphasis on the word beast as he tried to pull Bruce away from his brother. 

“Crap.” Tony said quietly, moving towards Bruce, crouched towards the ground. “First of all, we need to calm him down.” He said, his hands out and reaching towards Bruce like he was an injured animal. “Big guy, Bruce, calm down. You're okay.” 

Bruce flinched back, blinking rapidly as Tony came into his line of sight. He looked at the ground, eyes fading from bright green to brown as he stopped pulling against Thor. 

“What the hell was that?” Clint asked sharply, and Bruce flinched again at the sound of his voice. 

“M-masters. I-I’m sorry. I l-lost control.” Bruce stuttered, keeping low to the ground, swallowing rapidly around the lump in his throat.

“Huddle. Now.” Steve barked, and once they were in it, he turned expectantly to Tony.

“First of all, we don't tell Natasha about this. Secondly, Bruce is a werewolf.” Tony blurted out, and Clint looked seriously at Tony.

“Not a good joking time, Stark.” He said, and Tony shook his head. 

“Not joking. He told me earlier, but he said he only shifts on the full moon. Loki must have done something to provoke him. In the legends, werewolves only get all growly when angered, hurt, or full moon. And it can’t be the last one, because the full moon was just over a week ago.” Tony reasoned, and Thor frowned.

“You dare suggest my brother would do something of the sort?” 

“Sorry Thunderer, but that's the only thing I can think of right now.” Tony replied with a shrug, and Steve sighed.

“So what do we do? How did Ross stop him from doing this?” Steve asked, and Tony paled a bit. 

“...He raped him after every time he turned so that he wouldn't ever want to.” 

“God, that's sick.” Clint spat, and then added, “Even I wouldn't do that.” 

“Aye. Tis truly despicable.”

“However, we do need to punish him for this.” Clint finished, and gained three dirty looks. “I'm not saying it just to say it! I'm saying it because if he ever does it around Natasha, she will not care what we say. She will put a knife through his chest with no hesitation. We need to make him scared--more scared, as much as I hate to suggest it.” 

“If we want to preserve Bruce’s life…you know how Natasha gets sometimes.” Steve trailed off, looking guilty.

“I refuse. I can't.” Tony said, shaking his head rapidly.

“We have to, Stark. Now give me the whip from your saddle.” Clint’s eyes were steely again, just like they were yesterday.

“What? No!” Tony exclaimed, and Clint shrugged. 

“Fine then. We can always do it in the river.” He growled, and Tony gulped. He knew how that felt. Water everywhere...the drowning sensation. Coughing up water. 

“Look, okay? I'm going to get my whip. Just don't dunk him.” Tony pleaded, walking towards where the horses were. He returned a minute later, whip in hand. 

“Have at it.” He grumbled, handing the whip to Clint who angrily stalked back towards the fire, Thor and Steve in tow. Both Loki and Bruce’s eyes widened at the sight of the whip, the smug look dropping off Loki’s face. 

“Clothes off, Bruce.” Clint growled, and the man immediately stripped, making himself look smaller than Tony even thought possible. His body was covered in old scars, every rib countable as he stared at them, eyes full of fear.

“M-m-mast-ters p-please. Y-y-you d-don't have t-to whip me. I-I-I’ll do w-whatever y-you say! I-I can t-take t-two of you in my h-hole and t-t-wo in my mouth.” 

“Oh, God, I don't think I can do this.” Steve mumbled, and Clint gave him a look that resembled “Stay strong.” Outwardly, Clint snorted, looking at Bruce with disgust.

“As if we'd want that.” He sneered. “Loki, why don't you give us some privacy?” 

Loki immediately scurried away without a second glance back, taking up residence near the supplies.

“Ma- AHH!” Bruce’s second plea was cut off by Clint striking him on the back. “So..how about fifteen from each of us? A nice, even sixty. Someone gag him. I don't want Natasha hearing.” Clint said, voice disinterested as he eyed the smaller man. “Look, Bruce, we’re usually kind. But if you ever pull a stunt like today again, I'll make sure you still feel it in two weeks from then.”

“Yes sir.” Bruce mumbled, trembling and that was the last words he got to get in before the real whipping started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m fucked up. Enjoy this chapter.


	6. The Journey (Part III)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey back continues, but Clint is starting to notice something about Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm debating if I should upload another chapter today because this was a really short, filler chapter.
> 
> I don't think there are any trigger warnings for this chapter.

* * *

“Maybe whipping him right before we decided to walk for a long time wasn't the best idea,” Clint whispered to Steve, seeing Bruce limp and stumble along as they walked. “He's going to slow us down.”

On the bad side, Natasha had come in around whip number fifty-seven, holding six fish and therefore winning the fishing competition. Steve had to make up a lie about Bruce trying to escape and attacking Loki. Natasha had wanted in, and Bruce had gotten seventy-five lashes. He ended up fainting around sixty-one. On the less bad side, Natasha didn't know about Bruce being a werewolf. On the okay side, ten fish was enough for everybody. On the horrible side, both Loki and Bruce were deathly scared of all of them now. Loki was even scared of Thor, his own brother.

“He’ll deal with it,” Natasha said, hearing Clint. “He deserves it.” Tony gave Thor a guilty look, quickly looking away before Natasha could pick it up. She basically saw all and heard all.

“Masters,” Loki began in a quiet whine, “do you think we could break? Bruce isn’t looking very well.”

“Why do you care? He attacked you.” Natasha asked, genuinely curious.

“...I told him that you were just going to turn into Ross when you figured out. I was just pushing him, of course, just jesting…” Loki trailed off when Natasha’s gaze turned to him and he shrunk back a bit.

“Figured out what?” Natasha snapped, and Clint heard Tony’s breath hitch for a moment, but his outward gaze showed nothing. It could easily be mistaken for a hiccup, and no one said anything, praying for Loki to answer right.

“That he was trying to escape. Ross once tied him to a tree for a week after a failed escape attempt. No food, no water.” Clint looked back and gave Loki and approving look at the lie, which just made the black haired man look to the side in order to avoid eye contact.

“I would do that, but unfortunately we don’t have the time.” Natasha sounded amused, and Clint honestly wondered how well he really knew his partner.

* * *

“We took a bit too long at the river, so we’re going to need to speed up to reach a good campsite by nightfall, so it’s really not beneficial to rest.” Steve said, lips pursed as if he could see the sun already going down. The sun was still hot in the sky and it was four o’clock. Steve, although feeling guilty, had denied Loki’s first request for rest around three hours ago, and was now denying the second one.

“I-I can’t.” Bruce wheezed about thirty minutes from Loki’s last request, falling forward onto his knees. “P-please don’t make me anymore.” Unfortunately, he was still tied onto Butterfingers, who kept walking, dragging Bruce along.

“Fine, we’ll break. Five minutes.” Steve said with a sigh, stopping the chestnut stallion from dragging the hurt man any further.

Natasha rolled her eyes, walking over to Clint. “This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t tried to run away.” Clint just shrugged, rather listening in on Tony’s conversation with Steve. Natasha turned her attention to Bruce. He was curled up in a tight ball and Loki was whispering to him, looking extremely apologetic.

Natasha strolled over to the two, secretly enjoying the way both Bruce and Loki stiffened at her presence.

“What’re you doing?” She inquired, and when Loki looked fearful, she knew something was up. She couldn’t do anything to Loki without Thor getting on her back, though, so she rather kicked Bruce in the back.

Bruce let out a sharp yelp of pain, turning so he was on his stomach. Natasha took the opportunity to step on his back, pressing down lightly. Lightly or not, it would cause a lot of pain, especially with those fresh whip marks.

“What are you doing?” She growled, ignoring the cries of pain from the man beneath her. When Loki didn’t answer immediately, she pressed down harder, and Bruce let out a loud yowl of pain attracting the attention of everyone in the nearby vicinity.

“Natasha!” Clint snapped, rushing over to them. She took her foot off Bruce’s back, raising an eyebrow. She wasn’t doing anything wrong.

“Loki was doing something.” She explained, and Clint turned to Loki with a small frown.

“My brother was healing Bruce’s back with his magic. It would have made Bruce stop lagging behind. He asked me for permission before doing so.” Thor growled tightly, and Natasha shrugged off the looks of disapproval she was getting. She was just doing what she had been taught to do; getting answers and showing no weakness, unlike the others.

“He should have said that then.” Natasha said, and Tony held up his hand in a “wait, what?” sort of way.

“Loki knows magic?” Tony asked.

“...aye. You don't? Many Asgardians do.”

“We don't have time for this.” Steve interrupted. “Sun’s coming down fast. Loki, heal Bruce.”

“I can't again. If I use too much magic, it won't be good for either of us. I'm out of practice lately.” Loki said, shooting a tiny, near invisible glare at Natasha.

“I shall carry our comrade.” Thor offered, and Bruce let out a small growl, baring his teeth at Thor. His eyes were starting to go green again, Tony took the moment to panic internally.

“Shut up.” Natasha snarled, stomping on Bruce's back and smirking when he let out a choked whimper, burying his face in the grass.

“Stop!” Tony cried, and Natasha lifted her shoe.

“Sure.” She said coolly, stepping away. “You and Clint have sure gotten awfully close to Bruce.”

“Thor, careful of his back,” Tony instructed, ignoring Natasha’s remark and watching the large man pick Bruce up like he weighed nothing. He let Bruce hang over his shoulder like he was a ragdoll or a sack, and Natasha snorted quietly.

“Careful, careful. Don't jostle him too much. Good? Okay, let's go.” Steve said, taking up the front again.

Natasha made sure to take the rear so she could ensure that Loki and Bruce would feel her murderous looks.


	7. The Journey (Part IV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey continues, except Tony and Natasha have a disagreement that leads to a team fallout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think there are any trigger warnings? Except Natasha being a douche as usual.

“Only one more day until we get to the castle,” Tony said softly to Clint, drawing figures in the dirt with a stick. He could feel Natasha’s burning gaze on him, and wrote in the dirt, _“What’s up with Natasha?”_

Clint nodded his agreement, leaning forwards slightly. “Yeah. I wonder what King Fury will have to say about this,” but at the same time, he was writing, _“No idea. Keep B & L away from her.”_

“Food’s ready.” Steve’s call made Tony whip around, excitement in his eyes. Food was the best part of the day, well, in his opinion anyway. As he got up, he dragged his foot through their words, Clint doing the same as they walked from the edge of the campsite to the steady fire Thor had started.

It was incredibly lucky that Clint had practically stumbled into a rabbit warren. Even luckier that rabbits reproduced like crazy.

The smell of cooking meat made Tony’s stomach rumble and he could tell he wasn't the only one as Loki and Bruce both snuck hungry glances towards the roasting rabbits.

While Steve served the food, it didn't go unnoticed by anybody that he easily gave the two slightly larger portions. Natasha scowled half-heartedly at the two but said nothing as the two scrawny men scarfed down a surprising amount of food. Loki finished first, not noticing the uneasy and shocked looks from the group (especially Thor) and glanced over at Bruce for not even a second. The smaller man let out a ferocious sounding growl, teeth bared at Loki as he hunched protectively over his food.

“Bruce, no!” Tony snapped, as he saw Thor’s hand flinch for his hammer instinctively.

Bruce jumped a little at Tony’s shout, growl ending, but was still defensively guarding his food. He didn't apologize or look sorry, which was an improvement. It was his food, and he had a right to protect it, thought Tony.

Tony deemed this acceptable, and turned his back, facing the rest of the team. “What're our plans for when we get back to the castle, Stevo?” He asked, and Steve blinked before speaking. He seemed confused at the random subject. Or maybe it was the nickname. “I assume we’ll talk to Fury and see. I'll probably stay at the castle with Clint and Natasha to discuss strategies for our next battle with Ross.” He glanced at the two for assurance, and they simultaneously nodded.

“I wish to return to Asgard with Loki. Our father will be relieved to see his youngest son safe at last. Afterwards, I shall return to Shield and take my vengeance on Ross and his troops, along with anybody else who dared had a hand in my brother's kidnapping.” Thor rumbled, fist clenched in anger as he spoke.

“What about you, Stark?” Natasha asked as Tony shrugged.

“I'll be going back home. Maybe fixing up a new armor. Getting a new horse, probably. I left Jarvis in charge home, so the whole place is probably clean as a whistle.” He sighed, and Clint snorted. “Why are you even complaining? Your house is so dirty sometimes, it’s hard to tell that anyone else even lives there.”

“Speaking of living arrangements...I'd like to take Bruce with me,” Natasha said, and Tony was shaking his head rapidly before she even finished her sentence.

“No, no way.” He replied, thinking back to not even a full day earlier where Natasha had stepped on Bruce’s injured back. Thinking back to that, Bruce didn't seem to be feeling any pain from that any longer. Either he seemed to have gotten better at hiding pain or he just didn't feel it anymore. He had mentioned that he had healed from a stab wound.

“-no condition to take care of him.” Tony zoned back in at Natasha’s ending words and shrugged.

“Well, neither are you. You're always at the castle. That's no life for him.” Tony fired back.

“Why don't we ask Bruce who he’d rather go home with? He’ll be a free person once we get to the castle.” Steve suggested, looking rather uncomfortable.

Natasha just glared at Tony, who glared back.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Loki tentatively began, walking up the group. “But Bruce is gone.”

Immediately, everyone whirled around to face Loki, who took a few steps back. Natasha was on her feet in a few seconds, grabbing Loki by the front of his shirt.

“Why the hell didn't you tell us earlier? Where’d he go?” She snapped, eyes blazing. Tony pushed her off, teeth gritted as Loki warily hid behind him. It felt good that Loki was less scared of him than Natasha. Then again, Natasha was easily the scariest out of all five of them.

“I-I’m sorry. He j-just took o-off.” Loki stammered, and Steve cut in, immediately taking charge of the situation.

“Tony, Clint, I want you to take the horses and look for him. Natasha, scout the surrounding areas. He couldn't have gone that far on foot. Thor and I will remain here just in case he comes back. We need to get him back before nightfall.” Steve ordered, snapping into a leadership position.

“Got it. I'll take Butterfingers. Hawkeye, you're on U.” Tony said, already halfway on his horse’s back and completely neglecting his armor. The stallion snorted as Tony dug his heels into his flank before taking off at high speed straight into the woods. He could hear the thudding hoofsteps behind him as Clint took a path into the more dense shrubbery. He saw a glimpse of red hair as Natasha darted off into the trees.

“Bruce!” He yelled, anxiety churning in his gut. How fast could a werewolf even run? Was it possible that Bruce was already long gone? He kept going for what felt like forever, yelling Bruce’s name repeatedly, occasionally with a threat that made him feel immensely guilty right after.

Suddenly, a blur ran past him, and Butterfingers skidded to a stop, whinnying in surprise and rearing. “Ross, ambush, hurry.” Bruce panted, eyes wide and bright green. “I'm going to get the other two.” Tony stood there dumbfounded for a moment before nodding. “Be careful.” He warned before charging straight back in the direction he had come from. The smell of smoke reached his nose as he neared camp, and Tony began drawing his sword before he even burst through the trees.

The camp was in complete disarray as Ross’s men swarmed through, lighting fire to supplies and tents. Steve and Thor were both completely outnumbered, taking out three men, just to be swarmed with another four. Loki was nowhere to be found.

Tony charged into the fray, knocking down men left and right as he fiercely defended his teammates and camp, roaring out a battle cry as he did so. He felt no remorse as he cut down anyone who got in his way, anger burning in his heart as Ross’s troops scrambled to regroup. His eyes widened as he saw a man stab his dagger in a downwards direction, towards Butterfinger’s flank-

 _Twack._ The man was shot in the throat with an arrow. _Thwack, thwack, thwack._ The men scrambled as Hawkeye began shooting, arrows flying in the air before meeting their intended targets: eyeballs, chests, or jugulars.

Just like that, the tide was turned as Ross's men scrambled to retreat without getting shot and Clint shot arrow after arrow, shouts of pain and fear becoming more constant. Thor shattered a jaw with his hammer. Steve issued a concussion with his shield. The disorganized troops ran like ants, fear spreading as they realized they may have trapped themselves with their own fire.

Loki seemingly popped out of nowhere, dumping buckets of water on the supplies, successfully ending the blaze. Ross's group retreated, fleeing into the surrounding woods, leaving their dead and wounded behind with no remorse as they scrambled to escape. Within minutes, they were all gone, and the supplies a smoldering mess on the ground. Steve had a large, bleeding scratch on his stomach, but insisted it would be fine as he sat down heavily on a log. Thor’s cheek was slashed and his cape torn, but his heavy armor had protected him from any further damage. Clint slid down the trunk of a nearby tree, looking tired and weary as he joined the silent group.

“I found him,” Natasha called, walking through the trees, tugging Bruce behind him by his chain. He struggled slightly, panic in his clear brown eyes. Natasha stopped short upon seeing the destruction, looking immensely angry. Then she turned to Bruce and slapped him hard on the face.

“Let me guess, monster, you led them right to us? That's why you fled the scene, you useless fleabag.” She spat, and Tony froze because it made too much and not enough sense. Bruce disappeared just moments before Ross had appeared, and he was the main one being held with the team against his will. At the same time, Bruce had shown up to warn both Tony and Clint before being recaptured by Natasha. Unless the whole journey Bruce had been tricking Tony into feeling sympathy for him. To trust him. To care about him. Pain and resent welled up at those thoughts and Tony felt ice as he waited to hear Bruce’s defense, but he forced himself to shake it off and attempt to seem neutral. There was no way Bruce would- could do that. He had to be innocent.

“What? I- no!” Bruce objected, fear lighting up in his eyes as they darted from Tony’s neutral face to Clint’s anger, to Steve’s acceptance, to Thor’s contempt and Loki’s pained confusion. “I ran because I thought you were going to sell me. Ask Master Tony and Master Clint, I tried to warn them. I swear I did. I-I would n-never lead Ross-”

“All an elaborate hoax. We can’t trust him. His loyalties are to Ross.” Natasha swiftly cut in, and Bruce flinched, looking around the group for even a little support. Finding none, the curly-haired man glanced at the ground and seemed to shut down, eyes closed as he waited for Natasha to just deliver a verdict.

“We should kill him right here, right now, and leave his body here as a warning to Ross.” As the redhead finished, Steve shook his head slowly.

“No,” Steve said firmly, and Tony let out a quiet sigh of relief that he didn’t even know he was holding. “We’re going back to Shield and we’ll ask Fury what to do. Until then, I suggest we obstruct Bruce’s view with a blindfold or something of the sort. That way, he won’t be able to tell where we are, nor give Ross any ideas for an ambush.”

Natasha seemed miffed as Clint and Thor both quietly voiced their agreement, but didn't object further. As Steve came forward to grab Bruce’s chain, Natasha hissed something in the latter’s ear that made him stiffen, hunching in on himself a bit more. “Stay here, Thor. Make sure Loki is uninjured and Bruce doesn't run again.” Steve ordered, adding the second part mostly for Natasha’s sake than his own. As the Widow walked away to get a blindfold, Clint called a huddle.

“Will everyone survive the skirmish?” Clint started off, and as he received a round of nods, he continued, “I can't be the only one who thought Bruce was a spy for a moment. Then I realized it made no sense. For Bruce to run instead of at least pretending to fight for us, and then warn us later? Doesn't seem like a Ross-made plan. A lot of his plans are bold statements, messengers with warnings and stuff like that. Something elaborate and underhanded like that would injure his pride.”

“I thought of that as well. I believe it was just bad timing for Bruce. Or maybe planned so that they wouldn't have to fight a werewolf and risk being bitten.” Steve added.

“Assuming they know he’s a werewolf-” Clint started again but was cut off by Tony.

“Speaking of, do you think Romanoff’s figured out? She seems to be using a lot more dog-ish insults for Brucie.”

“Who knows what's up with Natasha, honestly.” Clint sighed in response to Tony. “She should be back any second now. Break up the huddle. I'll finish my thoughts on Ross later.”

Tony left first because it was more common to see Clint and Steve talking than himself and Steve, and seeing him and Clint speaking would be an immediate red flag for Steve on any day, considering the frequent pranks they pulled on each other. He made his way over to Thor and Loki who were quietly talking as Bruce sat on the ground, arms wrapped around his knees. His eyes were unfocused as he stared down-- perhaps he was going through a flashback?

“Bruce,” Tony said softly, crouching on the ground, trying not to startle the man. Bruce looked up slowly, expression guarded. “I'm sorry. I believe you, but Natasha…”

“Don't be sorry, Master. The blindfold is barely a punishment. I deserve it for running away. You all own me now. If you really wished to sell me, I would have no choice in the matter.” Bruce's voice lacked any emotion as he spoke, head still bowed towards the ground.

“Slavery is illegal, Bruce. And I've told you to call me Tony.”

“Who's going to tell?” Bruce muttered, ignoring the second statement.

“...What did Ross do to you?”

“Regarding the blindfold, nothing too bad.” Bruce snapped, and Tony was taken aback by his sudden attitude. So Bruce did have other emotions than fear and panic. He had snark and anger as well.

Bristling, Bruce glared heatedly at the dirt, mumbling, “Sorry,” but he didn't sound even vaguely apologetic until Natasha and Clint walked over.

“Sorry, Tony,” Bruce whined quietly upon seeing the pair, whole demeanor changing like the flip of a switch.

“It's fine,” Tony muttered, issuing Natasha with a glare.

“What? We’re just here to blindfold.” Natasha snapped back. Bruce sniffled, and then glanced up at Natasha, eyes going from wary to full-blown panic in an instant. The red-head gave him a sharp grin, and Bruce scrambled backward, hitting Thor’s legs. Tony stared stunned as Bruce was up on his feet in a second, running wildly as Clint chased him around before the archer finally grabbed his chain and easily tackled him to the ground.

“No, stop! You don't understand!” Bruce panted, struggling in Clint’s hold as Tony and Thor sprinted over, Natasha coming at a more casual pace. She looked smug as Bruce kneed Clint in the stomach, making the lighter haired man lose his grip momentarily.

“L-Let go of me! She's trying to hurt me!” Bruce howled, eying Natasha in terror, thrashing as Thor assisted Clint in holding him down.

“Friend Bruce, maintain calm. Lady Natasha shall not harm you, and being blindfolded does not hurt, however uncomfortable it may be.” Thor rumbled as Natasha took a knee next to the group, easily and tightly tying the blindfold, despite Bruce’s jerking.

Immediately, a scream that sounded like bloody murder escaped Bruce’s throat and everyone within the radius of the camp jumped-  
Steve, rushing over for the first time. Loki was inching over to see the problem while still trying to remain inconspicuous. Bruce clawed at his eyes, whimpering and screaming in pain as he did so, and Tony turned on Natasha, eyes burning with an accusation.

“What did you do?!” He snarled, and Natasha shrugged, corner of her lip turned up with an amused smirk.

“I just added a little something special. Ever heard of hogweed?”

Tony was never good with plants or their uses, but judging off Thor and Loki’s looks of mild horror, it wasn't good.

“You've blinded him, then!” Loki hissed, but it wasn't nearly as intimidating as he thought when he was half hiding behind Thor.

“Aye, 'tis true that hogweed sap will steal the vision of anyone who gets it in their eyes,” Thor explained, and the group erupted into slight madness.

“Did you know about this?” Tony snapped at Clint, eyes promising pain if the archer was involved in any way.

“No, I swear-” Clint was cut off by Steve’s enraged voice. He wasn't quite shouting, but he sounded like he wanted to be.

“Natasha, why? I specifically said we were going to ask Fury what to do with him!”

“You're getting too soft, Steve.” Natasha simply said, and seemingly annoyed with Bruce’s cries and whimpers, kicked him in the back of the head. Bruce’s face planted into the dirt as Natasha ground his face into the ground, giving the rest of the team a disgusted look. “You're all too soft. You should be able to do this-” she looked down at where Bruce was still crying, albeit muffled, “-without cringing and asking for forgiveness afterward. Bruce is not a person at this point. He is a brainwashed slave and a spy for Ross. None of you will be able to fix him, or redeem him, or whatever the hell you want to do with him unless you toughen up and start using force. When I talked to him on the ship, he told me that he wasn't going to allow me to take him away. Now, look where we are because Tony used force. He's docile and obedient because Clint can use force, and now I'm using force to ensure he will never, ever, betray us again.” Natasha lifted her boot, finished with her speech and ground Bruce’s face into the dirt. “Isn't that right, Brucie?” She cooed sarcastically. Bruce whispered, “Yes mistress,” so quietly that Tony strained to even hear it.

“Tasha, what the hell has gotten into you? You didn't use to be like this!” Clint exclaimed, stepping toward Natasha, but stopping short at the icy look he got.

“And you weren't always such a pussy,” Natasha replied easily. Steve’s eyes narrowed as he stepped forwards as well, not cowed in the slightest by Natasha’s glare.

“I think once this mission is over you need to talk to King Fury about quitting the Avengers. It's obvious that stress from previous missions has gone to your head and you're releasing it through cruelty.” Steve said coldly.

“Or better yet, we’ll tell him for you.” Tony piped up, and Natasha gave them a disinterested look, moving away from Bruce.

“I think we all knew I was done here anyway. I'm leaving now. Coming, Barton?” Natasha asked.

“Hell no! I looked up to you, Natasha! I always thought we were partners, friends even, so I followed your lead for all these years. I fucking hurt people because you told me to. I flogged Bruce so that you wouldn't think of your own punishment. We’re done, Natasha. I'm never hurting another hair on Bruce’s head for you, or anyone else, again.” Clint growled, but Natasha just shrugged and kept moving. The team of now four watched the redhead move through the damaged camp without a word, grabbing her dagger before disappearing into the trees.

“I'm sure she’ll be back at Shield by the time we get there. Hopefully, she'll be in a better mood then.” Clint said once she was gone, but his words sounded empty.

“S-she knows.” Bruce coughed up wet dirt weakly, attempting to push himself into an upright position and failing. “Powdered wolf’s bane in the sap.” He hissed in pain, scrubbing his eyes again. “Please. Help.”

“Undo the blindfold. I can try to heal him, but it might not work. Or it can go horribly wrong.” Loki spoke up noticing the Avenger’s anguished looks. They couldn't do anything for Bruce, but maybe he could.

“How horribly wrong are we talking?” Steve asked, and Loki frowned. “Being mauled by a werewolf.”

“I- wow. Okay.”

“Brother, I must forbid you from doing this. You could turn into one of those beasts yourself.”

Loki let out a slightly bitter laugh. “So father didn't tell you then.”

“What-”

“I'm already a beast. Loki Laufeyson is my true name. I am a frost giant, Thor. Now let me do this. I can't get any worse than the sworn enemy of Asgard.”

“Brother-”

“Uh, guys-”

“Don't call me brother!” Loki’s scream of anger was surprisingly loud and completely drowned out Clint’s interjection, and Thor flinched back, hurt. “Now silence, let me do this.” Loki continued more quietly, approaching Bruce, but it was too late.

The wolfsbane was obviously doing something to Bruce as he snapped at Loki, a mixture of pain, terror, and anger on his face. His back seemed to ripple as he awkwardly dragged himself to his hands and knees, and immediately dark fur began sprouting from his skin.

“Holy shit.” Clint breathed. “Guys, what the hell. Why is this our life?”

“Get to the horses and put on your armor, Stark. You have the most potential to take damage right now. Thor, I don't know how much damage your hammer will do, but be ready. Barton, the same goes for you.” Steve ordered, hand ready on his shield. Tony stood still for a moment, shocked to the point of being frozen before madly sprinting back to where his armor was. He didn't plan to miss this.

“I'm-” Bruce cut himself off as another spasm rippled through his body, and there was a painful noise as his bones began to break and reform, the sound of tearing clothes accompanying it. His tongue sprung out of his mouth, long and thin like a dog’s, and as his teeth began to sharpen and muzzle began to elongate, he whimpered, “I’m sorry.” Then, his eyes turned bright green as he threw back his head and howled, completing the transformation.

Where Bruce had once kneeled stood a huge, dark brown, monstrous wolf with glowing green eyes. And it looked very pissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically I double-updated, so see you guys in February?
> 
> Cool. (Joking. I'll likely see you next month.) 
> 
> Happy holidays or whatever


	8. The Journey (Part V)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m not telling you anything, you piece of shit,” Tony snarled, and as Clint cautiously crept past Loki and into the clearing, he could see at least fifteen soldiers, three of them holding Stark. 
> 
> Ross stood in front of him. And at Ross’ side…
> 
> Natasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good old writer's block.
> 
> A chapter for The Shitty Start or the Keeping and Caring of Abused Omegas will be up tomorrow, depending on which I feel like spending my Sunday writing.

“Bruce?” Steve asked cautiously, still locked in a ready position.

“That's not Bruce, I assure you. This wolf is the barest of his emotions. No one make any sudden moves, he’ll probably snap,” Loki warned, backing up as the wolf snarled angrily in his direction.

There was silence other than the wolf’s ragged pants as the group stood, tense, and waiting. “Did he transform?” Tony’s voice cut through the quiet like a knife as he began to run toward his teammates, half dressed in his armor. 

The wolf’s head snapped up, green eyes narrowing, and he let out a growl. Charging straight past Steve and Thor, the wolf was running straight towards Tony, teeth bared, who stopped short upon seeing the beast charging him.

“No!” 

“Someone grab his chain!”

“Stark, move!”

All three shouts arose at the same time, Thor and Steve taking off after the wolf, Clint switching arrows to try to get a decent shot with his “sleepytime” (as Tony not-so-affectionately dubbed them) arrows. 

“Bruce?” Tony asked questioningly, not moving, head tilted slightly at the wolf currently coming at him like an angry bull. The wolf didn’t stop, nor showed no sign of recognition at the name. 

“Well fuck,” Tony muttered, wondering if those would be the last words he would utter. 

Suddenly, the wolf let out a yelp, stumbling, and skidding to a stop. It paused, shaking out its fur, then blinked, and then collapsed, legs crumpling underneath it suddenly. 

“Got him,” Clint said solemnly, jogging over after Steve and Thor. 

To his dismay, the wolf was still awake, lips curled back to show teeth as Steve, Thor, Clint, and eventually Tony came to stand over it.

“I told you. No sudden movements,” Loki muttered, creeping over to the group, eyes alight with interest as he stared at the wolf. “He’s actually quite majestic. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him up close.” 

“He is indeed.” Thor snuck Loki a glance, but the other was pointedly not looking in his direction.

“Oh my God, he’s so fluffy,” Tony cooed, reaching out a hand to pet the wolf, but jerking back as the wolf flinched and snapped at his hand. 

“Did you just seriously try to pet a feral wolf?” Steve asked dryly, still eyeing the wolf with more than mild caution.

“He’s not feral, he’s just scared,” Tony protested, leaning back in to try to pet the furry, large wolf again. As he slowly reached out his hand, a pair of acid green eyes caught his. Tony froze, startled. Then the wolf reached up and licked his hand, “Okay.” He seemed to be saying, and Tony immediately stuck both hands in the wolf’s fur, petting the massive wolf.

“Interesting that Bruce’s chain grew with the wolf,” Steve mused, and Loki sighed, fingers twisted together nervously. “I will admit...Ross stole some of my magic and used it for certain objects. I remember he had imbued a whip with magic so he didn’t have to strain his arms to whip us. I suppose Bruce’s collar may be one of those things. It’ll take a stronger warlock than me, since I am not at my full power, to get rid of that awful thing.” 

“No one blames you, Loki,” Clint assured the man and decided it may be best to change the subject from Ross judging off the look on Thor’s face.

“Next question: What do we do with the wolf? When will Bruce come back?” Clint inquired, and Tony butted in.

“His name is Hulk, by the way.”

“What? Says who?” Clint demanded, turning to face the pair, appalled by Tony’s awful naming skills.

“Says Hulk,” Tony replied, pointing towards some odd figures in the dirt. Upon closer inspection, Clint could see they were poorly written letters spelling out H U L K, but how well could you truly write with claws? 

“Amazing…” Steve breathed out, and Hulk’s tail thumped the ground once, the short beginnings of a wag. 

“How long until the arrows wear off?” Tony was basically lying on top of Hulk now, the dismay in the team’s eyes lost to him as the giant wolf just let the blacksmith.

“Shortly, hopefully. I don’t think it’ll be the best idea to lay here for too long,” Clint said, and Hulk let out a tiny woof of agreement.

“Hulk? Can you understand us?” Tony questioned, and Hulk licked his face, long, and sloppy as Tony spluttered in surprise. 

“I believe that’s a yes.”

“Ross always hated that about him. Abnormally smart wolf to an abnormally smart man,” Loki muttered, and Hulk turned and snarled at him, large fangs exposed and Loki retreated behind Thor so quickly that all you saw was a flash of pale.

Hulk was up in a few more minutes and snapped at Loki one more time before walking after Tony, tail wagging the whole time. Clint found it rather interesting that Bruce seemed to be okay with Loki, but the wolf growled at him anytime he got anywhere close. He had mentioned that the wolf was Bruce’s barest emotions, so maybe this was the man’s true feelings. It was intriguing as well that Hulk didn’t call himself Bruce.

“Stark, why is he following you?” Clint finally asked after watching the wolf prance after Tony, a wolfish grin on his face all the while. 

“‘Cause I’m the coolest out of all of you,” the knight had replied before he decided not to talk to Clint anymore, petting Hulk on the head and Steve had simply rolled his eyes. 

None of the others had been able to get Hulk to follow them, although they had all tried, with the exception of Loki. Clint may have been just a tad bit jealous, but then again, he knew he wasn’t anywhere near deserving of Bruce’s trust. Especially not with how he had treated the curly haired man initially.

“Fair enough.”

“At least he’s easier to transport now,” Steve said not looking back, but Clint knew he felt bad by the near unnoticeable slump of his shoulders. He had had to make all the tougher decisions regarding Bruce and it had hurt the team, rather than helped as intended. Bucky had run off, Natasha was gone, and Bruce didn’t trust him, not to mention, Tony wasn’t talking to him. At all. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t talking to Clint either

“Did you hear something, Hulk?” The wolf snorted, and Tony nodded. “Me neither.”

“Tony-“ Steve began, sounding pained, but Tony cut him off. “Shut it, Cap. I don’t want to hear it. You’re part of the reason why he’s like this in the first place. You all are.” He shot the rest of the team a look.

“You aren’t the only one hurt by this Stark,” Clint snapped, feeling his patience began to fray. “Natasha was my partner for years. We were best friends. Do you know what it’s like to realize that you don’t even know your closest friend?”

“Yeah. It happened to me the moment we began the journey, Barton,” Tony replied coldly, and Thor interjected, “What happened with Romanoff was not our fault. And if I may recall, you were initially involved.” 

Tony paled, stiffening and pointedly didn’t look at Thor when he spoke. “Out of all people, Thor, I thought you would understand me.”

Thor didn’t respond, merely looking down a bit, and Tony’s face twisted into a sneer. “Fine then. No one wants to admit to their wrongs? Then I don’t either.” He stormed off, pushing past Steve and marching ahead, Hulk at his heels. 

“Tony, wait!” Steve called, but the man was already gone.

They didn’t go after him, walking in silence in his direction. Loki looked like he wanted to, but Thor grabbed his shoulder and the other stayed put.

It felt like the ambush was days ago, though it had been just hours earlier, near mid-day. Then Natasha had left at sunset and they had started walking. It was now nightfall, only the light of the moon leading the way and they had no idea where Bruce- Hulk nor Stark were. 

“We should stop until morning. If we keep walking, we’re going to get hopelessly lost.”

“Like Stark may be?” Clint asked sourly, and Steve didn’t respond. He looked like he was on the verge of having a breakdown, and Clint immediately felt bad for being so cold.

“It’s okay, Brother Steven. Tensions are remarkably high today,” Thor said, stating the obvious in an attempt to calm the captain.

They had barely set up camp when a sound came from the nearby woods. Butterfingers and U both tensed before running further away from the forest, which was unusual. The two horses nearly never got spooked.

Then a scream came from the woods, and a loud howl and Clint was on his feet before he knew it, grabbing his bow and running into the trees. The thump of loud footsteps from behind him told him that both Thor and Steve were following and to his surprise, Loki was darting in front of him, some sort of emotion other than emptiness and fear in his eyes. Determination.

“Shut up, Stark. Where are the other two?” A voice came from nearby and Clint stumbled as Loki came to a dead stop in front of him, determination fading as soon as it appeared. 

“Ross,” the black-haired man whispered, shrinking back.

“I’m not telling you anything, you piece of shit,” Tony snarled, and as Clint cautiously crept past Loki and into the clearing, he could see at least fifteen soldiers, three of them holding Stark. Ross stood in front of him. And at Ross’ side…

Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> Comments and kudos are loved, but optional :)


	9. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony knew they weren’t going to win against Ross, but it was worth a try anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...I didn’t proofread this. And yeah, this chapter is late.
> 
> Ah well.

Tony knew that he was in trouble. He had run away from the team, getting himself captured by Ross, and Hulk was nowhere in sight, fleeing the moment that he had gotten a whiff of the air around them.

He was outnumbered, alone, and hopelessly trapped, three or so of Ross’ men easily holding him back. And Natasha. 

“You’re a traitor! Where’s your loyalty?” Tony hissed at the red-head. She shrugged, a smirk rising to her face.

“The same place as my heart. I only help others if they benefit me, and right now Ross has offered me a better deal than Fury has.”

“What, so you’re just going to leave? What about Barton! What will he think-“

“I don’t care what he thinks,” Natasha interrupted fiercely.

“Look, Stark,” Ross said, stepping up. Tony wished he could spit in his stupid mustache. 

“We can cut you a deal. Tell us where Loki is and you can get out of this unharmed. We’ll even let you keep the monster.”

“I’m not telling you anything, you piece of shit,” Tony snarled, and actually did spit in Ross’ mustache, grinning as the man immediately turned redder than Tony’s armor.

“Fine,” he growled, wiping spit from the furry caterpillar above his lips. He turned to his troops barking out, “I want three of you to go find that wolf. Injure it if you have to, but don’t kill it. Bring it back to me. The rest of you, don’t just stand around! Train! We’re going to be fighting the Avengers and Fury’s army any day!” 

They scrambled, quickly moving to follow the man’s orders, except for the three men who were holding Tony back. 

“What do you want us to do with him, Ross?”

“If Stark won’t help us, we have no use for him. Romanoff?”

“I’d use him for target practice, but he’s far too squirmy.” Her voice lacked emotion as she gave Tony one last look over. “Just dump him.”

“Alright.” Tony planted his feet, struggling as the men began dragging him away, towards the camp entrance. 

He didn’t know where they were going to dump him, but if Natasha suggested it, it likely hurt like hell. He was so fucked.

“Do you mind?” One of the men asked in annoyance, tired of the knight’s resistance. “We’ll make sure it’s quick.”

Tony looked around wildly searching for anyone to help him when a flash of blond in the trees caught his eye. He looked up, squinting at another mop of sandy hair, but this time in a tree. Clint.

He barely had time to process the thought before one of the men holding him went down, arrow in his throat.

“Ambush!” The alarm call came from one of the other men, managing to scream a warning before joining his friend, arrow in eye. 

“Watch the trees!” Romanoff shouted, and Tony had the pleasure of having a sword held to his throat as Ross’ men emerged from places he didn’t even know where they were, bushes, trees, behind rocks. They had expected this. 

“Avengers! Come out and surrender or we’ll kill Stark!” 

There was silence, heavy and tense after Ross’ order. Tony knew it would be insane to even attempt to fight. They were outnumbered, five of them, including Loki, against all of Ross’ men, was suicide. Steve walked out from the forest first, shield held at his side as he slowly inched forward. His face was one of nervousness, but Tony could see the determination underneath it.

“Avengers!” Steve suddenly shouted, and the rallying cry of 

“ASSEMBLE!” was the answer, Tony elbowing the man holding him in the stomach, grabbing the sword away from him and stabbing him in the shoulder as pandemonium exploded through the camp.

Thor charged out of the bushes, Loki behind him, easy reluctance on his face as he followed his brother into battle. 

Thor leaped right into the fray, breaking the poorly formed line and taking at least four men down as he did so. 

“Encircle them!” Ross yelled, and as his army struggled to reform their lines, a sudden explosion blew back their line. 

“Good one, Loki!” Thor laughed, slamming his hammer into a man’s stomach, sending him flying.

The team’s good luck didn’t last very long as a bad throw sent Steve’s shield flying into the undergrowth, leaving the captain with nothing to protect himself and Clint, who had some point left the tree, was issued a concussion, falling to the ground.

Tony found himself trapped facing at least three opponents with others on the way to aid their allies.

There was no way that they were going to win this.

A howl sounded off in the bushes not too far by and over the cries of battle, Tony knew that hooves were crushing undergrowth. 

“Cap! Backup’s coming!” Tony yelled, unsure if it would be lost to the wind, but he heard Steve’s confused answer of:

“Backup?”

A single silver horse, followed by black horses emerged from the bushes. Their riders wore red, with the exception of the man on a silver horse, who wore all black. Hulk proudly sat by the silver horse, seeming to grin menacingly at Ross as the battle slowed, confusion showing at the new additions to the battlefield. 

“Who are you?” Ross yelled, and the man on the silver horse replied.

“I am King T’Challa of Wakanda. You are currently fighting on Wakanda’s grounds, and I must ask you and your soldiers to leave. Or face the consequences.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are not mandatory, but they really make my day!


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